The present invention relates to a latching arrangement for a top at the windshield frame of a motor vehicle, especially for a foldable top which includes a pivot lever arranged on the side of the top and a mounting device provided at the windshield frame, whereby the pivot lever supported about an approximately horizontally aligned longitudinal axis cooperates with an actuating mechanism.
A latching mechanism for a top having a good functioning is disclosed in the DE-PS 34 13 379 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,436 to Wolfgang Eyb) which includes a fixed sliding-block guide arranged at the windshield frame and a pivot lever with a latching bolt arranged on the side of the top, whereby during the closing operation, the latching bolt cooperates with the sliding-block guide and pulls the top downwardly. Either a manual or an electric motorized actuation is provided for the pivot lever.
This prior art arrangement entails the disadvantage that for the two actuations, different sliding-block guides are required, as a result of which the manufacturing costs are increased. Furthermore, only slight vertical lift movements can be realized in the manual version by reason of the pivot angle of the pivot lever and the construction of the sliding-block guide, that is, the foldable top has to be pulled down so far by hand with considerable force application until the latching bolt engages in the sliding-block guide.
Therebeyond, the maximum closing force of the top in the vertical direction (prestress) occurs already prior to the closing position of the latching bolt, and more particularly when the latching bolt is at the lowest point of the upper track section of the sliding-block guide. By contrast, in the closing position, the latching bolt engages in a recess of the sliding-block guide whereby the recess is located higher than the lowest point of the upper track section.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a latching mechanism of the aforementioned type between a windshield frame and a forward frame part of the top which has a good functioning combined with a simple construction and in which large lift movements in the vertical direction are attainable also with the manually actuated pivot lever. Furthermore, the closing force of the top acting in the vertical direction is to have its maximum value in the latching position.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that the mounting device is formed by a rotatable roller which cooperates with a guide track provided at the pivot lever in such a manner that during the closing operation, the guide track is displaced from an unlocking position extending laterally adjacent the roller about the lower area of the roller by way of intermediate positions into a latching position located underneath the roller, whereby the points of rotation of the pivot lever and of the roller are arranged on a common, approximately vertically extending auxiliary plane and during the closing operation the upper point of rotation of the pivot lever travels on the vertical plane in the downward direction and in that in the latching position the area of the guide track tangential to the roller is aligned at right angle to the vertical auxiliary plane.
The advantages principally achieved with the present invention reside in that owing to the construction of the mounting device as rotatable roller and the arrangement of an elongated guide track at the pivot lever, a latching mechanism is created which combined with good functioning has a simple construction. Additionally, a large stroke in the vertical direction is achieved by the guide track also with a manual actuation of the pivot lever. The maximum closing force in the vertical direction (vertical prestress) is achieved in the latching position owing to the fact that the points of rotation of the pivot lever and of the roller lie in a common vertical plane and the guide track is arranged at right angle to the vertical auxiliary plane, and more particularly without loss in stroke (lift). No horizontally acting force occurs in the latching position between the guide track and the roller. Furthermore, large tolerances can be compensated for in the horizontal direction by means of the latching mechanism according to this invention. The arresting mechanism effects an additional securing of the pivot lever in its latching position and is characterized by a good functioning.